EU to help CAR military

Brussels - EU foreign ministers on Monday gave the final go-ahead for a mission to help with military reform in the Central African Republic, which has sought to contain clashes between its Muslim and Christian communities.

The country saw sectarian violence after Muslim Seleka rebels overthrew then-president Francois Bozize, a Christian, in March 2013. Thousands of people were killed and about a million were displaced in the conflict.

Last year, the European Union dispatched soldiers to help maintain the peace alongside UN, African Union and French forces. That mission wrapped up on Sunday, handing over responsibility for security operations to the United Nations.